Why is James McAdoo starting?

Seriously he's been a big bust for UNC and they need to bring him off the bench as an energy guy. He hurts the team as he doesn't specialize on offense or defense. The guy they should be starting in his place in Brice Johnson, just look at their numbers.

Look at that! In 13 less minutes per game he is outproducing McAdoo and doing it way more efficiently. UNC really sucks at putting lineups together. Nate Britt/Joel James should also be losing minutes while Kennedy Meeks and Isaiah Hicks need more. If Hairston came back you could actually have quite the lineup if done correctly.

Paige, Hairston, Tokoto, Johnson, Meeks as starters with McAdoo/Hicks/James/Britt as your bench would be formidable.

As a huge UNC fan I'm sad to say I've lost hope in McAdoo. He's a bust that is offensively challenged, meaning that he has no go-to move, takes bad shots, can't create his own shot and basically scores his buckets off of put backs and transition.

That being said I agree with Hale with UNC starting to cut his minutes and trying him off the bench. Much like Fareid was for the Nuggets when he came off the bench or Marvin Williams when he was at UNC. Truthfully I'm ready for him to declare so that we can develop Hicks and Johnson who I think will have a John Henson/Larry Sanders type of effect on games.

Seniority and despite the fact that he sucks offensively he's a pretty good college level defender. McAdoo and Brice actually see a lot of time together so McAdoo starting shouldn't be an issue. The issue could be the other frontcourt player who's starting.

But is being a pretty good defender really worth the huge gap in production overall? It's not like he's dominant on that end and I don't have any advanced stats but I wouldn't be surprised if Johnson's impact defensively isn't far off despite his small frame. Like I said, both of their starting bigs need to see reduced PT. As far as bench scoring goes, McAdoo would be more successful against second units as would Britt/James and Hicks getting more PT likely help.

I personally think that their best lineup includes McAdoo and Brice. They don't have to be substituted for each other. If playing a C is necessary, they could just play both of them at the forward spots a la Arizona. That's actually what Roy has been forced to do given their lack of depth on the wing. Who loses out? Tokoto? Not a big deal.

I see where you're coming from but Meeks/Hicks should be playing more too. Add in Brice and you are going to be taking time away from McAdoo. If you are going to move McAdoo to the three they might as well move Tokoto down to the two because Britt gives them nothing. He doesn't even stretch the floor.

Yeah Britt looks like a big miss. He hasn't been good for a couple of years now, but before he started to slip he was already committed. At least with him on the floor they'd have a 2nd ball-handler to handle pressure, which was a big key in the L'Ville win. That's the only positive I can think of when it comes to Britt.

you make great points and I agree with nearly every thing you said....but like Siggy says...Johnson is needed as the scorer for the 2nd unit. I am surprised at Hicks lack of PT.

"If Hairston came back you could actually have quite the lineup if done correctly."

when has Roy been known to do things correctly? we are just in a precarious position and its all because of those two titles. the gift and the curse. Roy's run and gun style just aint gonna get it done. In a way we are lucky that PJ and Leslie are out because Tokoto is in the lineup. Had they began the season....I believe Roy would still be starting Britt (because he hinted at it initially)....its just that right now he has a legitimate reason to so he is not going to come under fire for it. When they return I still believe Leslie and PJ should both start.

Duke has overtaken us as far as recruiting. Recruits first became leery after Barnes and now they are just about convinced that Roy is a terrible developer of talent after seeing McAdoo. McAdoo is the same player as when he came out of HS. Paige is gonna be the same way. Paige has a lot of potential but I think his overall development will be hindered. We are still good on the recruiting scale but I dont know when we will see another top 5 guy commit.

UNC always has enough talent to be a top 5 team but the lineups and substitutions are always horrible and make no sense. Prime example is a guy like Strickland who was a really good prospect coming out of HS. He shouldve played almost exclusively at PG...instead of playing SG beside Paige and even worse beside Marshall. He shouldve been backing up Marshall while McDonald played the SG that wouldve improved the perimeter shooting and took pressure off of Barnes. Roy's excuse was defense. Yes, Strickland was the best defender....however, he really got ate by larger players. When Shumpert went off for like 35, McDonald was actually keeping him in check due to his size. When Strickland entered the game Shumpert's eyes lit up.

Also, Strickland shouldve been the PG and Paige the SG last year. Even though Paige is naturally the better PG, Paige is also the better shooter. But get this....Strickland was the better ball handler....so it made all the more sense in the world. Strickland had better A2T ratio, he was very efficient. Couple that with the fact that Strickland would have to be a PG in the pros anyway, plus at SG he was forced to shoot more jumpers than he would like and it was almost a no brainer.

I dont want to bash McAdoo or any of the players, I have to put it back on the coaching staff. (not having Phil Ford around is a detriment as well) I dont even know if McAdoo is a lock for the 1st round now. He does move his feet well on D but thats about it. He is a PF with no defined offensive game and is really showing to be a much weaker than anticipated rebounder.

Exhibit A is someone who should have gone pro after his freshman season. Was he good enough to actually go? Not even close, but three years ago people were still ready to take a couple million dollars chance of what he would be in the years to come. Well, now those years have gotten here and it ain't pretty. With teams that have exceptional talents historically (Duke, UNC, UK, MSU, etc.) I can't help but wonder that McAdoo was encouraged to stay at UNC to benefit the program and not himself. Bottom line: if you have a chance to make more money in a year than most people will in their lifetime's DO IT. Let's see what that being loyal to the program gets you now.

I hear what you are saying about staying for the benefit of the program but I dont think it was a loyalty issue. Money wise he shouldve left. but...he had faith in UNC to develop him as a PLAYER and for them to have a great season. he knew he was not ready then even though he wouldve been a top pick. I truly believe he had more of a Marcus Smart mindset where he knew he had to improve on some things and thats the reason why he didnt leave. I cant knock him for that at all. In hindsight it wasnt a good financial decision but like I said...we arent robots. If there were no league minimum, Barnes wouldve went from HS. Barnes stayed a 2nd year because he believed like McAdoo he would improve. When in actuality the longer they stayed the more their stock dropped. Fortunately for Barnes it was too far.

Do you think that Barnes improved his stock and/or game by returning to UNC? My line of thinking is, how much more are you going to improve in college vs. having 100% of your time to devote to being a professional athlete and having the best facilities and teachers in the world? I rarely buy the 'come back and improve your game' mantra. Maybe if you're iffy getting drafted or iffy going lottery, because the difference between a late first round pick and a lotto pick is some serious cash.

It's a difficult thing to prove, but it's hard for me to believe that if you're going to get drafted anyway, it's just not worth it going back to college. That's why, for me, the current NCAA model should be abolished. Let's have a college basketball farm system where for every year that you play for a team, you get one free year of college. You can attend during your playing, or afterwards, it's up to you.

Basketball between Ohio Valley State and (insert big name here) isn't even the same game. I don't know why just because these kids are the same age we have to pretend like everything's equal. That's my sentiment on why the foul-brigade is now being called in college ball. With the charge/block last year call they mitigated top-tier athletes and gave the benefit of the doubt to the defensive player to level the playing field between majors and not. Well, they found out fans hated that, so now in order to make MSVU and UK, et. al. more equal they call everything a foul. Gives the little guy more of a shot. I would like to see how the scoring differential between teams compares so far this year to year's past. Closer games=more exciting=more viewers=more cash = more exploitation.

no, Barnes stock dropped even more. I meant to say fortunately for Barnes NOT much. (couldnt edit it once I saw my mistake.)

my point was to say, Barnes stock dropped a lil his 1st year. I think he came back to try and elevate it and it ended up slipping more. Barnes was always a good player. I dont really see how he improved much by coming back. Once he had a good rookie season people were back on his bandwagon. Really, he just never looked great at UNC and I blame that all on Roy. Whenever you have a jumpshooter like Barnes...and you have Bullock, Hairston, and throw in McDonald as a bonus.....there is no way they shouldnt have been dominating. Those are NBA level shooters. Roy just NEVER played them together until he was forced to...and only then he got results.

Siggy is right about seniority but Roy does it without holding the players accountable. Kendall Marshall would still be at UNC had he not been forced to start him due to Drew jumping ship. Drew should have been on the bench. He didnt want to start Bullock until Strickland went down. PJ never got into the starting lineup until Bullock got the concussion, even though Bullock was averaging a point-a-minute coming off the bench.

I personally think he came back to be the GUY at UNC. It just didnt work out as he expected/hoped. I previously stated that i felt he didnt put the work in during the offseason of his freshman and Soph years.All the onus can't be on the coaches. Look at how Henson developed, he turned ok pretty good NCAA and pro so far.

yes Roy missed the boat on Strickland, was a bad fit imo. At another school I feel he had pro potential

its not all on the coaches...but if you know the history of UNC and the legacies of Dean Smith as compared to that of Roy Williams....at least half of the blame has to go to the coaches. McAdoo doesnt look like he has done any offseason work but what has the coaching staff done to help him? Strickland couldve had that potential at UNC, he was played out of position. he was never going to be an NBA SG. He is a PG. So why he played 4 years primarily at SG was mindboggling particularly when you had McDonald, Bullock, and Hairston. Hairston shouldve started all last year and they didnt take off til they put him in the lineup with Bullock.

McAdoo has to take a lot of the blame, but still, he is a kid. Its not like Roy hasnt had a history of players with declining draft stock.

I wouldnt say McAdoo was overrated. He is the same EXACT player as when he came out. The issue is, he was potential that never turned into performance. If you put in the work you can see the improvement. Yet his jumper looks the same, he still has no moves, and rebounding he is just not aware, gets good positioning or goes after hard enough. even with getting to the line more thats been a detriment because it exposes his weak FT shooting.

McAdoo is simply an overrated prospect who should have been a middle of the pack 4 star recruit. Baffles me this guy was a top 5 prospect. It is as simple as that. He played terrible competition in high school and dominated based off of superior athletic ability alone. In college his athleticism is simply not as big of an advantage as it was in high school, and he has NO SKILL AND NO BASKETBALL IQ. I am sick of seeing him take fade-away 18 foot jumpshots with a hand in his face or 3 pointers.

Surve has essentially hit the nail on the head. Roy has kind of shown the past few years that he doesn't know what to do with the personel that he has. On a team that needs scoring our two best scorers, outside of Paige (Meeks and Johnson) don't start and give up PT to guys like Joel James and McAdoo.

trust me bro...UNC has as much talent as anybody out there outside of maybe UK. Roy is just not good unless these players are finished products. he did a horrible job with Barnes mainly because he refused to play any shooters beside him. remember when the lineup consisted of Marshall, Strickland, and Barnes? meanwhile Hairston and Bullock were on the bench? when they were freshmen you RARELY saw Barnes and Bullock in the lineup together.

Joel James can be a prospect too but Roy lets him shoot fadeaways when the guy is like 6'10" 250 plus. smh. Meeks will be a good college player because he has the polish. McAdoo, James, and Tokoto probably will never be very good. McDonald shouldve transferred. Also Hubert...even though he is raw, he has athleticism and defensive ability that would be better put to use elsewhere because his days of seeing the court at UNC are over. Even Jackson Simmons has played well when he has had the chance. He is a smart player who makes few mistakes. He is a player who wont lose the game for you.

UNC has an excellent class next year (3 of the top 15 players in ESPN 100). Thats what saves his ass. He wont be on the hot seat as long as he wins enough games to make the tourney and stay in or around the top 25...which he always has more than enough talent to do so. Still Duke has overtaken UNC as far as recruiting at least for the moment and that should tell you something. Duke has never really been able to get MORE talent than UNC. UNC will be stacked at PG and SF next year....and knowing Roy, I wouldnt be surprised to see 3 PGs in the lineup.

Lets not get ridiculous here. I mean heck, He did get four guys drafted in the first round in Barnes, Henson, Zeller and Marshall. So you can't say he doesn't develop players for the next level. The thing Roy is doing is recruiting for the 2,3,4 year kind of players. Although, is it really worth it?? That, is the thing i'm not sold on. And yes, i will agree, he is HORRID at putting line ups together and subbing. My dear jesus. The starting lineup right now should include Brice, Meeks, Hicks, Paige and heck why not Britt. In McAdoo and Tokoto we have possibly the worst 2 starters for a ranked team in the country. Against UAB McAdoo had at least 5 shots that didn't catch rim. Flat out embarassing. Tokoto is awful in his own right. He can't handle, can't shoot and he is an overrated defender, constantly getting beat off the dribble. He can jump, thats it. HORRENDOUS at the line shooting in the 30s.... Just bad. If I were the coach i say screw the seniority. Play the young guns let 'em loose. and pray to god that Hairston can come back. McDonald can stay home for all i am concerned. he's just as bad.